Games consumerism: How many is too much?

I googled 'pile of games'. I reaped what I sowed.

So, I’ve been ruminating on this point for a few days, and I figure that this is as good a place from which to launch forth as any other. As you may be able to tell from the myriad posts on this site, I do not buy a lot of games. Most certainly, I do not buy a lot of new releases. In part, this is due to the simple fact that, until recently, I could not afford to splash out £50-odd on a new title. Except for the big boys. A quick look over at my games shelf quickly tells me that the last new release I picked up was Halo: Reach. If anything, a perfect case in point. A great title that received much hype in the run-up to its release, I found a few friends who were willing to co-op the campaign with me, and I was ready to go. Fast forward to a fortnight later, and it was stowed away where it hasn’t been touched since. It got me to thinking, who is buying all these new games, and how often?

Why I bought a DSi one month before the release of the 3DS

DSi still sounds like a Vauxhall Corsa sports model to me.

So, I am now pretty pumped/stoked/high on hype for PAX East. I still don’t totally believe that I’m ever actually going to end up at it, despite having purchased everything necessary. Something will get in the way. I know it. Nothing that I get excited about ever works out, and it’s painful because, as each day passes, I become more and more excited about the idea of the whole thing. Guess we’ll see what happens, eh? I would love to be proved wrong. But what does this have to do with buying a DSi? Do you know nothing of product cycles? I was getting to that.

My favourite meme on the Citadel

Just hangin' out.

The final part of Mass Effect 2, the ‘Suicide Mission’, was one of the most edge-of-your-seat gaming experiences I have had in a long time. Making decisions that directly affected your teammates’ chances of survival, alongside watching them die, made for an exhilarating final chapter to what has been a very enjoyable game. I can plainly understand why this received so many Game of the Year commendations.

2010 in 2011 #1 - Mass Effect 2 (X360)

It's really, really good.

I came charging into this year with the intention of getting solidly into this thing, providing a better document of my gaming throughout the year to come. This past week and a half, it’s been really tough, and it’s all Mass Effect 2′s fault.

BioShock 2 (X360)

I don't know what that is, but it sure looks angry.

After around four months since buying it from Gameplay.co.uk, I decided to begin BioShock 2 again last weekend. When I first started  out, it just didn’t compare to its predecessor. Everything felt hackneyed, tacked-on, needless. Then I encountered my first Big Sister, and I became intrigued.

Gaming in the past: 2010 in 2011

Osmos: It really grows on you.

Another year marks almost the first anniversary of this web log, and the pretty harrowing reality that I have made eight posts in that time. That’s an average of something like two posts every three months, which frankly sounds like more than I feel I have made. In the spirit of the season, I make the resolution to post more often; to try and get into a schedule that I can manage.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (XBLA)

Anamanaguchi's soundtrack is divine, by the way.

This post may mark a slightly sharp turn in approach. I set this whole thing up around January last year, and I thought that if I was diligent, I could probably hold myself to a decent-enough schedule of a fortnightly post to chronicle what I’d been doing. How I was wrong. It turns out that things get in the way. Well, who’d have known?

Movie: The Town

Boston makes me feel good.

This post will begin with a disclaimer: I am still lingering in the period of my life which shall be described in my future memoirs as ‘The years when I had not yet seen Michael Mann’s critically-acclaimed Heat. This review is not about Heat. This review is about a film that is a lot like Heat. I have not seen Heat. How do I know it’s like Heat? Because that’s what everyone’s saying, and these sentences must end in Heat. Heat.

Movie: Inception

The only inception.

Christopher Nolan is pretty big news these days. The guy who blew us away with best-the-first-time-round Memento, who re-launched the Batman franchise, saving it from that mid-nineties neon disco mess, is now being hailed as the saviour of the modern blockbuster movie. And with Inception, he truly deserves that crown, for better and for worse.

Condemned: Criminal Origins (360)

Best Dressed 2006 - Murdering Psychopath category.

If you’re the sort of person who finds themselves wondering ‘Why am I not soaked in my own urine often enough?’, then this review may appeal to your senses, and moreover Condemned: CO might just be the sort of game that you’ve been looking for your whole life.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (360)

No-one gives Scott Mitchell a GRAW deal.

Okay, so this is definitely an old game to be looking at, but bear with me. Which game was the most hyped and also (I think) the highest selling of 2009? Need a hint? It was Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, and although it dates from 2006, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW, for short) deals with a similar brand of warfare, although GRAW takes place in a slightly near-future scenario. Does that it put it ahead of MW2? Probably not, but with all the attention thrown at Infinity Ward’s output, there is certainly a case for highlighting how good the slightly more tactically-focused Ubisoft titles are, such as GRAW, the Splinter Cell series, and Rainbow Six. GRAW is a series that is definitely worth noticing.

The Saboteur (X360)

Sean Devlin: Lad on tour.

Well, I’m so far just around two hours into playing Pandemic’s swansong, and I have to say, it’s been a real thrill-ride so far. They’re well-known for their Mercenaries franchise, and having never played nor even seen those titles, I had little to no context on whether this game was going to live up to my expectations or not. The reason for my high hopes were that if a game ever could fit into a niche market, I think Pandemic did an excellent job in designing one for me. Irish? Check. World War II fan? Check. Action movie fan? Check. Lived in Paris? Bah, oui, bien sûr!

Movie: Iron Man

Stop, in the name of ridiculous movies!

Before I begin, I need to clarify something. Many of the future posts in this blog are going to concern things which aren’t happening in the cultural zeitgeist. I’ll say that now. Mostly, this place is an avenue for me to document my media habits and to see how they progress over the course of (I hope) at least the coming year. As with all things internet-related, there is always the high probability that I will forget to sign-in one day, and from that day this blog will become one of the many ‘Pages of the Damned’ that don’t see further attention.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game (X360)

Busting makes him feel good.

After a length period away from gaming, this summer it truly got a hold of me again, and I cannot get enough. It started small, with my first ever playthrough of Yoshi’s Island (SNES) around May, which I must say is an incredible platform experience. 2D still seems to have my heart when it comes to platform games, I never fell in love with the 3D version, except for a few notable examples like Super Mario 64.

This xmas, I received Ghostbusters: TVG with joy, having missed the original release. I am a long-time fan of the movies, and one-time fan of the animated ‘Real Ghostbusters’ series. In the chaos after June, I had completely forgotten about it, something for which Gears of War 2 was also partly responsible.